As part of his visit to Lörrach, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier presented the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany to seven women and six men from the region at the Werkraum Schöpflin on 2 July 2026.
The ceremonial presentation of the awards forms part of ‘Ortszeit Lörrach’ – now the 19th stop on his ‘Ortszeit Deutschland’ series of visits and dialogues. For this initiative, the Federal President relocates his official residence to Lörrach for three days in order to engage in direct and personal dialogue with local residents.
Accompanied by Hans Schöpflin (founder and chair of the advisory board), Tim Göbel (managing director of the Schöpflin Foundation) and Peter Eichin (managing director of Villa Schöpflin), the Federal President visited Villa Schöpflin prior to the actual award ceremony. He gained a detailed insight into the work of the Schöpflin Foundation and Villa Schöpflin.